When Memorial Day weekend rolled around, social media was littered with posts by the pool or in the ocean. One of the great ironies of life then struck me. We were so desperate to get to a body of water and show off our summer bodies. We were happy to be flouncing around in the ocean. Yet, our bikinis didn’t do a thing to help save the very thing we used as a prop for our photos.
One of the hottest bikini collections that came out this summer is the Onia X WeWoreWhat. What is ironic is that the nylon, already a non-biodegradable fabric, used to make the bikinis wasn’t a recyclable nylon. If you are going to drop $200 on a swimsuit, then why not spend that money on brands that are using recycled nylon instead?
The hard part about sustainability in fashion is that you cannot change the mind of generations in one night.
It is so hard to buy an affordable piece of clothing or bikini that isn’t hurting the environment, I realize that. You cannot argue against the fact that not everyone has the budget for spending that much money on sustainable fashion or on conscientious swimwear.
The argument can be made that nylon isn’t as harmful as polyester, so you’re basically halfway there. The problem is that the planet first and foremost cannot afford for us to be halfway there. This post is the first step in a long fight to eliminate waste in fashion. We typically only buy bikinis once or twice a year, so let’s take baby steps! Why not start by first buying only from conscientious swimwear brands?
I am mentioning two brands that I love in this post: Vitamin A and Slinkii. I made the conscious decision to feature these two brands because they are brands that I have worn. Their bikinis are of amazing quality, and I love the ethics of their companies.
The bikini I am wearing in the photos for this post are from Vitamin A. You can shop my top here and shop my bottoms here. I am wearing a size 10 L in top and size 4 XS in bottom.
Vitamin A Swim:
Vitamin A Swim was founded in 2000 by Amahlia Stevens, a California native. They specialize in sustainable innovations, and everything is made in California. They are single-handedly my favorite conscientious swimwear brand.
Vitamin A Swim is unapologetically committed to the preservation of our environment. They do not just limit their contribution to the environment at just the usage of recycled Nylon. They go above and beyond to advocate for saving the planet in such a way that I rarely see in brands anymore.
Let’s talk about some of the amazing things they’re doing to stay sustainable:
Vitamin A Swim created EcoLux, a fabric made from recycled nylon that is specially designed for swimwear to fit on your body like a second skin. Amahlia created EcoLux after being told that there was no space for recycled fabric in the swimwear industry.
Their factories also employ waterless digital printing technology so they conserve water and energy. These factories are specially chosen for being innovative. All manufacturers have the highest standard of ethics and environmental responsibility.
Vitamin A doesn’t just stop at using recycled Nylon. They incorporate other sustainable materials in their conscientious swimwear. Some of these include linen, recycled cotton, Tencel, and polyester fibers recycled from old plastic bottles. I can personally attest to how they don’t use plastic at all! Even the price tags that the bikinis come in don’t have any plastic on them.
What is also pretty amazing is that everything is made in California. This means NO SWEATSHOPS and a reduction in emissions. The shipping and transport of raw materials to a factory internationally means more emissions. This is not including the fact that the United States produces a significantly lower amount of emissions than most other countries. Just compare the air quality in Beijing to New York City!
Lastly, Vitamin A also partners with and donates a percentage of sales to other environmental organization to protect and preserve clean water. They recently partnered with Everything But Water to take part in the Water is Everything initiative, a commitment to fighting plastic pollution in the oceans, coral whitening, and ocean acidification
Click here to learn more about Vitamin A!
Slinkii Swim:
Slinkii is a brand started by Instagram influencer Pia Muelenbeck. She created a brand that set out to be sustainable, ethical, and conscientious from the very beginning. They specialize in athletic wear as well as swimwear, and Slinkii is not looking to limit sustainable fashion to only their swimwear.
What I love about Slinkii is how inspiring Pia’s story is. Disillusioned working as a lawyer, Pia took the plunge to create a brand that is changing the way the industry views sustainable practices. I love supporting small businesses, and for me personally, seeing such a successful brand being started by someone like Pia is so incredibly inspiring.
Here is what Slinkii is doing to being sustainable:
Slinkii is one of my favorite conscientious swimwear brands. Their swimwear is made out of a recyclable nylon fabric that comes from reclaimed fishing nets from the ocean. 640,000 tons of fishing nets are lost in the ocean each year, and they can stay in the ocean for up to 600 years. They are responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of marine animals, and a single fishing net can entrap up to 40 marine animals!
Even before Slinkii launched their swimwear, they were already making strides with their commitment to aid reforestation. For every purchase, they will plant a tree. One of the numerous benefits to planting trees is that they will naturally remove any harmful pollutants from the air.
All of cotton used in Slinkii clothing is entirely organic. Organic cotton is grown without harmful pesticides that are detrimental to the planet. These harmful chemicals kill the animals, are deadly to the workers breathing the fumes, and can run off into water (harming the food, animals, and the ocean).
Slinkii also sells yoga mats, and instead of using harmful, synthetic materials, Slinkii uses Jute. Jute is a natural fiber and a sustainable resource. Jute cleans the air by consuming carbon dioxide, and their leaves are an amazingly rich soil conditioner.
Lastly, Slinkii’s packaging is something I can get onboard with. Every purchase comes with an amazing reusable ziplock bag, designed to be reusable and recyclable. These bags are biodegradable, which means that you can also safely throw out the bag. They will naturally decompose in a much shorter amount of time than normal plastic bags, which take up to 1,000 years to decompose and release harmful toxins along the way.
Click here to learn more about Slinkii
other useful guides already out there
I’m not going to pretend like I am the first person to realize that swimwear can be eco-friendly. Here is a great guide I found by Conscious Fashion Collective that goes into detail on 30 eco-friendly brands and what material their bikinis are made from:
https://consciousfashion.co/guides/eco-swimwear-brands
I also love the Sustainable Fashion blog called Tortoise & Lady Grey. She has a very different style from me, but her posts on sustainability in fashion are in-depth and full of useful information:
Collaboration over competition is so important, especially when it comes to saving the planet! I hope you check out these other useful guides that I have found in your own personal journey in sustainable fashion! If you want to get some more background on where I like to shop for all of my non-swimwear clothing, then check out my post on where I shop!
I love you all, and thank you SO MUCH for reading!
